An End and a Beginning
by Goldenrod
Summary: Kit returns to the present, but Darcius is still far from giving up. Rated 'T' for a later chapter.
1. The Touch

Disclaimer 1: The only characters I own are Kit, Darcius, and Tehreisha, and I don't own the events that occur within the first few paragraphs.

Author's Note: Italics are musical lyrics.

* * *

Four figures stood at the bow of the first of a line of six airships watching a red shape swim away in the river below. Just moments ago, their leader revealed his intention to go back to the City of Legends to search for an artifact that they had forgotten all about—the Mask of Time. Nokama said that they should all go together, but Vakama insisted that the rest of the team had to remain with the airships to make sure the Matoran spheres reached safety. With his mind made up, and his brother and sister Toa and human ally's understanding, the Toa of Fire bid farewell and good luck to them and dove seamlessly into the water. "Mata Nui, keep him safe," Nokama prayed.

"He will, sister," said Matau. "Mata Nui loves ever-brave fools; that's why he made so many of us." Nuju responded to the Toa of Air's joke with clicks, whistles, and hand gestures, catching everyone's surprise. "What was that? I didn't quite get-catch it?" asked Matau.

"He's been doing that ever since we left the city," Kit chuckled. "Apparently, he's decided that if we want a conversation with him, we have to work for it."

"But, will it be worth hard-working for?" Matau asked. The Toa of Ice frowned and replied with a slash-like motion and two shrill whistles. "Somehow I get the feeling I've just been insulted," the Air Toa guessed, "and, normally, I'd challenge-dare him to say it again, but I don't believe-think I'd get it a second time." Everyone, including Onewa, who was in the pilot's seat, laughed and Nuju simply smiled.

* * *

An hour passed, and there was still no sign of the Toa of Fire. In effort to keep from worrying too much about their friend, the group tried to find things to do: Kit, Nokama, and Matau sparred; Whenua and Onewa arm-wrestled; and Nuju took over the piloting. Eventually, the Toa of Water and Air and the girl found their attention repeatedly wandering toward the match between the Toa Metru of Stone and Earth, so they decided to watch. Both Toa grunted with exertion; just when it looked like one was about to win, the other would gain the upper hand.

"Ow," said Whenua when Onewa finally bested him, pinning his arm down.

"Yes!" cheered the Stone Toa.

"Onewa's the winner," Nokama chuckled.

"How about a three out of five?" asked the Earth Toa as he held up his arm.

"Fine by me," Onewa shrugged.

The two just linked hands when the airship gave a violent shake. "What is going on?" asked Kit.

"I knew it wasn't a smart-good idea to let him steer-drive," Matau muttered, mentioning the Toa of Ice in the pilot's seat.

Nuju, hearing Matau's comment, clicked and whistled in an annoyed tone. Nokama went out onto the deck to investigate. "Kit! Brothers! Come quick!" she called, urgency in her voice. The others rushed out to see what the matter was, and their eyes widened in shock. All of the airships, including theirs, were slowly, but surely, being ensnared by shadow-like tentacles. With no prompting needed, they got to work freeing the ships. The tentacles proved rather easy to cut through, but it seemed the more they cut, the more kept coming. Suddenly, Kit thought she saw something in the corner of her eye. Focusing her sight as best as she could, she could just barely make out a humanoid form in the darkness of the tunnel. She didn't know how, but she had a very good suspicion that who or whatever it was, it was responsible for the attack.

'I've only got one chance,' she said to herself as she aimed her gun-hand, 'so I've got to make this shot count.' Using her free hand to steady her gun-hand, she fired.

A second later, a pained cry echoed and the tentacles seemed to vanish. Before Whenua could activate his mask power, the figure had disappeared. However, Kit and the Toa heard a voice—or rather felt it. "You might've won this round," a sickingly menacing and familiar voice said, "but, I will return." Then, there was a tense, suffocating silence.

"Did everyone hear that?" asked Onewa.

"Yeah, that was Darcius," Whenua answered. "But, if I didn't know any better, I'd say his voice sounded a little different."

"That's because that wasn't the Darcius you guys just met," said Kit. "That was the Darcius from the future; the one that I followed into the warp that brought me here."

Upon her silent mental command, Kit's clothes changed into her Toa Metru armor suit. "What are you doing?" asked Matau.

"I'm going after him," the girl answered. Nokama was about to protest when Kit stopped her. "You heard him. He's going to come back sooner or later. My guess is he's trying to change history by stopping you guys from returning to Mata Nui, and who knows how that will affect the future?"

"But, he could be anywhere in these tunnels," Onewa pointed out.

"I can't explain it, but, somehow, I think I know where to find him," Kit said in reply.

"Then we're going with you," said the Toa of Earth.

"No," denied Kit, "you all need to stay here and make sure those pods get to that island."

'Where have I speak-heard that before?' thought Matau, recalling that Vakama said something along the same lines earlier.

"Besides, this is my fight, not yours," the girl concluded.

Nokama bowed her head and sighed, "Very well. Good luck, Kit, and be careful."

The young human smiled as she offered a thumb's up, then activated her rocket pack and took off down the way they had come. 'Mata Nui, watch over both of them," the Toa of Water prayed once more, watching her little friend's form disappear down the tunnel.

* * *

Kit had lost track of far she had flown, or how much time had passed, and she was beginning to feel really antsy. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, her senses instinctively went on the alert as a feeling of dread and alarm raced down her back and through her mind. Spotting a ledge, she came in for a landing. 'He's here,' she thought to herself, certain that it was true, 'but where?' "Come on out, Darcius," Kit called. "We both know that I know you're here." Silence, but the feeling remained. "C'mon, you're not afraid that I'll whoop your butt again, are ya?" she mockingly dared. For a brief minute longer, there was more silence. Then, she caught some movement and almost didn't dodge a streak of purple lightning.

"Me? Afraid of a puny little brat like you? Please," Darcius scoffed as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Could've fooled me, with how you skulk around in the shadows, even at the airships," Kit retorted.

With a roar, Darcius let loose a flurry of bolts, which Kit dodged and launched an attack of her own, but Darcius blocked it. The fight between the two continued for several more minutes this way: one would attack, then the other would dodge or block and counter. Getting a running start, Kit leaped and attempted to double kick Darcius, but he blocked the kicks. He tried to get the girl while she was still in the air, but she twist-flipped, landed, and delivered a powered-up punch before he could react. The force of the blow sent him staggering back several feet. 'I've forgotten how powerful her techniques become when she powers them up like that,' he said to himself as he rubbed his jaw, then launched another attack. Caught off guard, Kit moved quickly and summoned a shield.

However, though the shield did save her from the worst of the assault, it still knocked her to the ground. She looked up just in time to see a sight that made her heart stop—her crystal soaring through the air and over the edge. "No!" she cried as she got to her feet and leaped to try to catch it. But, it was too late; the crystal fell to the river below and her armor suit dematerialized, switching back to her regular clothes. Hearing a chuckle behind her, she rolled away to avoid more bolts.

"Soon, the river will carry the crystal farther downstream," said Darcius. "Then, it will too far for you to access its power. You're finished."

"It ain't over till it's over, Darcius," Kit replied with as much bravado as she could muster, "and, last I checked, I'm still standing."

"You won't be for long," Darcius retorted and resumed his attack. A few minutes of ducking and dodging passed before Kit found her opening and rammed her shoulder into Darcius' stomach, tackling him to the ground. Darcius, however, managed to flip her off, "Now, it you'll excuse me, I'm going to pay the rest of your friends a little visit."

"Not if I can help it," Kit said. "Somehow, some way, I'll be back."

"I'm afraid not," Darcius chuckled as more bolts danced along his fingers.

For some reason, Kit looked behind her and discovered what he meant—she was close to the edge of the protrusion. She just managed to let out a gasp and moved to dodge, but didn't move fast enough to avoid the attack entirely. Because she moved, the bolts didn't strike her head-on, but the force from the impact sent her flying. Screaming, she disappeared over the edge. Darcius peered over just as a splash was seen and heard. After allowing himself a victorious laugh, he turned his attention down the tunnel. "Now to take care of business."

* * *

She stirred, slowly and painfully. At first, she didn't understand why it was so dark and she didn't know where she was. 'What happened?' Kit thought. She found herself on another ledge and looked above to find a larger one. The memories of her latest confrontation with Darcius came back in full force. "He's going after the others!" she exclaimed. Getting to her feet, she tried to summon her armor suit only to remember that she lost her crystal during the fight. That left only one other way. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself as best as she could, she grabbed hold of some ridges in the wall, found some footholds and crawled her way across. However, the climb sideways soon proved to be far more treacherous than she originally thought. When she stopped and thought about it, she didn't see how she was going to get to the others in time at the rate she was going. But, the drive to give it all she still had was too strong. 'I took on that guy without my crystal once; I can do it again,' she said to herself. 'Besides, if he thinks I'm just going to sit around and let him do whatever he wants, he's so badly mistaken.' The thought gave her the strength to keep moving, despite her aching fingers and feet. Suddenly, she thought she heard something and turned her head to the direction of the sound. Unfortunately, her foot slipped, she lost her balance, and fell with a scream. Just when she was certain she was done for, she gave an, "Oomph!" when she felt herself caught. The next thing she knew, she was flying. "Vakama!" Kit exclaimed when she finally saw the face of her rescuer.

"Are you alright?" asked the Toa of Fire.

"I am now. You're flying! But, how?"

"A little feature I discovered my disk launcher had while I was at Metru Nui."

"Great, this way we'll be able to catch up to Darcius faster. I just hope we're not already too late."

"Darcius?"

"I'll explain on the way, just try to catch up to the other Toa Metru as fast as you can."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the airships, the remaining Toa were beginning to get a little concerned; they should've heard from Kit and Vakama by now. Suddenly, a form shimmered into their midst. "Darcius!" Onewa exclaimed. Matau, who was back to piloting duty, put the ship on autopilot and went to join his friends. Darcius, however, unleashed his energy bolts and all of the Toa Metru slammed into the walls. Seeing the piloting controls, he aimed and fired.

Ignoring the pain from the attack, Nuju quickly released twin streams of ice from his spikes to form a wall of ice. A second later, the bolts ricocheted off the ice wall and back at Darcius. For the first time, he felt the painful power of his own attack. Recovering quickly, he glared at the Toa of Ice, "Nobody does that to me!" He let loose another flurry of bolts with a range so wide Nuju couldn't dodge it. He used his crystal spikes to try to shield himself, but was flung back toward the railing, which he broke through. Reflexively, the Ice Toa grabbed a hold of the bar, saving himself.

"Nuju, hang on!" called Nokama.

Nuju tried to pull himself up, but couldn't. Whenua noticed and ran to help. Darcius readied another strike to stop the Toa of Earth, but found himself blown into the wall by a powerful blast of wind, courtesy of Matau. While the other Toa kept Darcius busy, Whenua got down and reached out. "Nuju, give me your hand." The Toa of Ice extended his hand to his brother Toa's, but it was just beyond his reach. Both Toa then forced themselves to stretch their arms as far as they could. "C'mon," the Toa of Earth urged, to himself as much as to Nuju, "almost . . ." Their fingers touched and, finally, their hands clasped together, "Gotcha!" and he pulled Nuju back to safety.

Unfortunately, they weren't out of danger yet, for at that moment, the remaining three Toa collided near the Toa of Earth and Ice. While Whenua and Nuju helped their brothers and sister up, Darcius towered over them, malice in his eyes. "I've grown weary of this, so I'm going to end it once and for all." As more bolts danced among his fingertips, the Toa braced themselves for the attack. Darcius, however, found himself tackled to the floor. When he got up, he saw the very last thing he thought he'd see—Kit. "You?" he gasped, more than a little surprised.

The girl smirked and said in her best Terminator voice, "I said I'd be back." Darcius, past the mood for games, unleashed his energy bolts. Kit and the Toa Metru, however, dodged, and Darcius leaped down to the next airship

* * *

_You got the touch_

_You got the power_

* * *

"Nuju, how about a lift down?" asked Kit, and the Toa of Ice used his mask's telekinetic powers to get Kit down to the ship.

* * *

_After all is said and done_

_You've never walked, you've never run_

_You're a winner_

* * *

Darcius watched with slight confusion as the girl descended in front of him. "Why do this to yourself?" he asked; the girl had to know there was no way she could fight, let alone beat, him.

* * *

_You got the moves, you know the streets_

_Break the rules, take the heat_

_You're nobody's fool_

_You're at your best when the goin' gets rough_

_You've been put to the test, but it's never enough_

* * *

"I could ask the same of you, Darcius," she answered. Without warning, Darcius leaped at her, tackling her down. Kit, however, managed to kick him off and took a fighting stance.

* * *

_You got the touch_

_You got the power_

_When all xxxx's breakin' loose_

_You'll be riding the eye of the storm_

* * *

Onewa watched, a little mystified; if he knew anything about Kit's fighting style, something was not quite right. "Since when did that kid not follow up with an energy attack?" he asked no one in particular.

"Since she lost her crystal," Vakama answered a little nervously. The response from the other Toa was no less than he expected, "What?"

"You mean to tell us that she's taking on that madman with absolutely nothing but her bare hands?" asked the Stone Toa.

The Toa of Fire sheepishly nodded. Matau released his wings and would've leaped off the railing if Vakama hadn't grabbed him around his waist, "Oh no you don't."

"We've got to aid-help her," the Air Toa argued as he tried to get Vakama's grip off of him. "He'll destroy-kill her."

Nokama gently put a hand to his shoulder and looked straight into his eyes, "She let us fight our battle; now we must let her fight hers." A pause followed before the Water Toa continued, "If it comes down to it, we will step in. But, for now, we must give her a chance."

Reluctantly, the other Toa Metru stayed put. 'I just hope we won't come to regret such a decision,' thought Nuju.

* * *

_You got the heart_

_You got the motion_

_You know that when things get too tough_

_You got the touch_

* * *

On the airship, Kit charged, dodging Darcius' energy bolts as best as she could without losing her balance. Finally, she was right in front of him and punched him firmly into the stomach. Darcius staggered, and before he could retaliate, she was in close, close enough for hand-to-hand combat. Now that he couldn't use his energy attacks without risking harm to himself, he tried to back away to give himself some room. Except for one small problem—no matter what he tried, Kit always closed the gap. On top of that, the girl's martial arts training was superior compared to his. That left him with only one option—defend himself as best as he could.

* * *

_You never bend, you never break_

_You seem to know just what it takes_

_You're a fighter_

_It's in the blood, it's in the will_

_It's in the mighty hands of steel_

_When you're standin' your ground_

_And you never get hit when your back's to the wall_

_Gonna fight to the end and you're takin' it all_

* * *

At one point, Darcius, out of desperation, finally managed to shove Kit off, but she immediately flipped herself back up. Darcius fired more bolts and the girl almost slipped dodging them. Regaining her balance she started running back toward him.

* * *

_You got the touch_

_You got the power_

_When all xxxx's breakin' loose_

_You'll be riding the eye of the storm_

_You got the heart_

_You got the motion_

* * *

Darcius was ready for an upcoming punch, but he was not ready for a mean right hook to the jaw that sent him to the ground. He looked up to see Kit in a fighting stance with defiance in her eyes.

* * *

_You know that when things get too tough_

_You got the touch_

* * *

That look of defiance made him burn with fury and, faster than the girl could blink, he grabbed a shard from one of the beams of the ship and lunged. With a yelp, Kit tried to get out the way, but was not quick enough. The sharp edge of the shard sliced into her arm and she screamed in pain.

* * *

_You're fightin' fire with fire_

_You know you've got the touch_

* * *

Clutching her arm, Kit backed away a bit. The cut stung like crazy. Seeing a shadow descend upon her, she looked up to find Darcius coming at her. However, as he came down, she upper-cut him away.

* * *

_You're at your best when the road gets rough_

_You've been put to the test, but it's never enough_

* * *

Kit moved in, managing to avoid a sweep from Darcius, but not a double flip-up kick. "At first, I was more than willing to make your friends' deaths quick and painless. But, now, once I'm done with you, I'm going to make them so slow and agonizing that they'll be begging me to end what will be left of their miserable lives . . . just like you'll be soon."

* * *

_You got the touch_

_You got the power_

* * *

Kit glared at Darcius, grabbed his wrist, and positioned it into a very painful wristlock. Darcius cried out in agony. "Not on your life," she said, then kicked him away.

"Yeah, you tell him, Kit," Whenua cheered.

However, the battle was not won yet. Darcius was readying another go of bolts, and, this time, Kit not only was too tired to keep dodging, but she had nowhere to dodge. Just when the bolts were about to hit, Kit felt herself being lifted away. Looking behind her, she saw Nuju's mask glowing. But, even on the airship, they were not safe. Before them, Darcius floated on what appeared to be a nimbus-like collection of his energy bolts. With his free hand, he sent out a flurry of bolts, and the Toa were struck head on. Their bodies aching terribly, they struggled to get up.

"You poor, insolent fools, thinking that you could escape the fate I have in store for you and this world," Darcius said. Lifting his free hand up, a localized storm of purple energy bolts congregated upon the line of airships. "Now, accept it and feel my power!"

With the ice wall gone, Matau got back in the pilot's seat and did his best to steer the lead ship away from the storm; they had to get out of there before the airships were too badly damaged. Unfortunately, it was no use, and the ships were starting to shake violently. Kit spotted one of the Matoran spheres rolling toward the edge almost too late. She grabbed hold of it, but it nearly took her overboard as well. Groaning with effort, she struggled to pull it up, but it was too heavy. "Somebody, help me!" she cried as she felt herself slipping. Thankfully, Onewa grabbed hold of the canister and hauled it up. Darcius, meanwhile, was laughing; he had finally won. Or, so he thought. His attention was suddenly diverted and his laughter halted when he saw a ball of goldish-yellow light. The ball struck him with the power of a fist and he fell to the top of the second airship. Darcius joined the Toa Metru, staring in shock at the energy ball's source—Kit. The glow in the girl's hand was beginning to dim, but there was no mistake about it. The ball was the result of her clenched fist, making it ten times more powerful than a standard energy ball from her palm. And, that wasn't the only amazing new feature—there was a slight glow of the same goldish-yellow color in the blue of Kit's eyes, making them have a swirling effect.

"No, it's not possible!" Darcius exclaimed, unable to believe what he was seeing even more than the Toa Metru. Kit reached her hands above her head, laced her fingers together, brought them back down to her chest, and let out a cry as she thrust them forward, sending forth a ball with rods revolving around it in its wake. Darcius was so stunned he didn't think to move and was sent flying off of the airship. Regaining his senses, and concentrating as best and as fast as he could, he summoned a time warp and disappeared into it. The warp itself dematerialized soon after. Kit stood there for a few seconds, then, all of a sudden, she began to sway and would've fallen if Onewa hadn't caught her. After looking her over, the Toa of Stone gathered the young human into his arms and carried her inside.

"Kit?" Nokama asked concerned when she saw Kit in the Stone Toa's arms.

"She's alright," Onewa assured his fellow Toa, "she's just exhausted, that's all."

* * *

_You got the touch_

_You got the power_

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unseen plain, Tehreisha smiled with pride. "She's done it," she said to herself. The girl had not only regained her memories and made sure everything was as it should be, but most importantly, "She's tapped into her true potential."

* * *

Disclaimer 2: The song used in this chapter, "The Touch", is owned by Stan Bush and Lenny Macaluso (I just hope nobody minds if I censored it a bit). Kit's and Darcius' fight was also inspired by a movie (guess which one :)).


	2. History in the Making

Back on the airship, Kit stirred as if she were waking up from a nap

Back on the airship, Kit stirred as if she were waking up from a nap. She was laying on one of the makeshift cots she and the Toa made for their journey and in the room where she dubbed the sleeping quarters. Getting up, she walked to the door and found Whenua sitting at a table, his back to her and looking over what appeared to be a datapad of some kind. She was about to greet the Toa of Earth when a more fun idea came to mind. Whenua was looking over his datapad when everything suddenly went dark. "Guess who," a voice said. The Earth Toa smiled; he recognized the voice, but decided to play along.

"Matau?'

"Nope."

"Onewa?"

"Nope."

"Nokama?"

"Nope."

"How about . . . Kit?" He lifted the hands off of his eyes and looked behind him to find a laughing Kit. "Nice to see you up and about."

"How long have I been out?" Kit asked as she stretched.

"Two-in-a-half hours," answered Whenua.

* * *

News of Kit's recovery spread within minutes and everything was pretty much back to normal. Although, at one point, during his break from piloting, Matau noticed the toe of Kit's shoe on the deck. When he investigated, he found the girl sitting with her back against the wall, arms folded across her chest, her knees pulled in, and looking a little sad. In fact, now that he thought about it, even when she was smiling, he had noticed that her eyes seemed to have a bit of a sad look to them over the past few days. "What's bad-wrong, Kit?" the Toa of Air asked.

"Nothing," Kit answered, but Matau knew from the tone that that wasn't the case.

"Oh, c'mon now, no dark-secrets," the Air Toa gently coaxed as he sat down next to her. That's when he noticed the vacant look in her eyes; the look one gets when staring off into space. "What are you deep-thinking about?" he tried again.

"Home," she answered after a brief moment's hesitation.

Matau nodded in understanding.

"I've been thinking about my world, family, and friends a lot over the past few days," Kit continued.

"Been much-feeling a little homesick lately, huh?" asked the Toa of Air.

The girl nodded, "I just wish there was a way for me to see them again. At least let them know that I'm ok."

After giving it some thought, Matau said, "Why not question-ask that Tehreisha lady?" When Kit gave him a questioning look, he explained, "Why not call-contact her and question-ask her if you can?"

"I don't know if I can, or even how to do it. She's always been the one who contacts me."

"What have you got to waste-lose?"

Thinking that the Air Toa had one of his occasional good points, Kit decided to give it a try. She closed her eyes and focused her mind on calling to Tehreisha, the only way she could think of. A few moments passed and she was about to give up when she heard a familiar warped sounding voice say her name. She opened her eyes to find Tehreisha floating in front of her and Matau. For once in a long time, the Toa of Air was at a loss for words.

"Who's that?" asked Onewa, who, along the rest of the Toa, just joined the two upon seeing Tehreisha's light.

"Guys, this is Tehreisha, the Gate Guardian I told you about," Kit introduced.

For a moment, the Toa didn't know what to say. Then, Nokama gave a friendly wave, "Hi."

"Hello, Toa of Water," Tehreisha warmly greeted. "I have to admit, it's nice to meet you all. You called for me, Kit?"

The girl nodded and said, "Tehreisha, is there any way I can talk to my family? Let them know that I'm ok?"

"I'm afraid not, child," Tehreisha said sadly, "not without crossing the barrier between this world and yours."

"But, I miss them so much and I haven't seen or talked to them for so long," Kit pleaded.

"She's right, Tehreisha," Vakama stepped up. "This girl has taken on the Makuta and Darcius, in both her time and ours, along with helping us save the Matoran and saving us, and thus our future, in the process. I'd say she's more than earned the chance to talk to and see her family again. Surely there's something you can do."

A pause followed as Tehreisha thought about it. Then, with a nod, she vanished and in her place stood what appeared to be some kind of mirror. In the mirror was a brown-haired girl that looked a little older than Kit. Kit mentioned that the girl was her sister and the Toa Metru, intrigued, gathered closer to the mirror. Then the scene changed to show a man with brown hair who Kit said was her Dad. Once more, the scene in the mirror changed to reveal a brown-haired woman whom Kit identified as her Mom. The mirror remained for a minute longer before it started fading away. On reflex alone, Kit reached out for it, but was stopped by Whenua's hand. "You got to see them, she did that much," said the Toa of Earth gently. Kit wiped away the tears in her eyes and nodded with a smile.

An hour passed, and Matau announced at the rate they were going they should be arriving at Mata Nui soon. Though everyone could hardly wait to get out of the airship, they did not like the idea of having to unload all of the Matoran spheres, considering now they didn't have conveyer belts, the Rahaga, or Keetongu to help them. "Hey, Vakama, you don't suppose you could use that Mask of Time to fast-forward time so we can skip all of the unloading, do you?" asked Kit. The Toa of Fire laughed along with his human friend. At the deck, Nuju couldn't help but overhear and smiled at the joke. Suddenly, something caught his eye—a glint in the water. Using his telescopic lens, he saw a familiar shape. Could this be what he thought it was? Using his Mask of Telekinesis, he lifted it up and took it in his hand. Yes, it was what he believed it to be. The Toa of Ice walked toward Kit. "Hey, Nuj, what's up?" asked the girl. Though the Ice Toa hated it when she called him that, he let it slide and held out his right hand—which was holding Kit's crystal. Enthusiastically, Kit took it and placed it back around her neck as she asked, "Where did you find it?" Nuju gave two clicks and a whistle as he pointed outside.

"Out on the deck?" asked Matau, confused.

"No, Matau, he means out in the river," Nokama chuckled. "The current must've carried it downstream."

"Well, thanks Nuju," said Kit, before she embraced the Ice Toa into a hug, catching him totally by surprise. Nuju stood there, as if unsure of what to do. Vakama, however, smiled as he could've sworn that the Toa of Ice's cheeks had turned a very, very light shade of pink.

* * *

Sure enough, soon after, the group arrived at the shores of Mata Nui. Although, it did take longer than last time, unloading all of the Matoran spheres from all six airships didn't take as long as they had thought. Soon, the beach was littered with them, and Kit and the Toa gazed at them. They had done it; they managed to successfully transport all of the Matoran to their new home. "Toa Lhikan sacrificed his power for us," said Vakama. "Now, we shall do the same for them."

The Toa of Fire placed his hand on one of the spheres, energy dancing along the form of the canister. The door opened and, inside, a Ga-Matoran stirred awake. The Fire Toa willed more energy and his form began to change, to shrink. "Vakama?" Nokama gasped. When the change was complete, Vakama was still there, only he was not the Vakama they all knew.

'He's using his Toa power to wake up the Matoran,' Kit realized. 'In doing so, he's changed into his Turaga form.' Knowing what they all had to do, the other Toa Metru spread out amongst the spheres.

Kit watched as they all sacrificed their Toa powers, changing into Turaga, and Matoran climbed out of their spheres, almost unable to believe that she was seeing history in the making. Seeing a Po-Matoran suddenly pop out of a sphere nearby, Kit walked over to him and offered a friendly smile and her arms. The Matoran cautiously looked her over before reaching out to her, and she gently lifted him out and set him down. All of the Matoran, now awakened, gathered around Vakama. "May the heart of Metru Nui live forever," the new Turaga of Fire addressed them, "for this is the island of Mata Nui named in honor of the Great Spirit." Suddenly, a tug at his arm caught the Turaga's attention. A blue masked Ta-Matoran, Takua, gently guided Vakama to a Ta-Matoran who sat by his sphere. Pieces of what was once a Kanohi mask lay near him; if he didn't get a replacement mask soon, he would fall into a coma. Struck with an idea, Vakama smiled. He reached behind him and summoned Turaga Lhikan's mask, which he had kept this whole time.

"I can't believe I forgot about that," Kit whispered to Matau while Vakama approached the Matoran and placed the Kanohi on his face. For a second, nothing happened. Then, the Kanohi morphed into a more Matoran-like shape, revealing a familiar face—Jaller. 'No way!' thought Kit in disbelief as the crowd cheered.

"What's that?" one of the Matoran asked.

Looking to where he was pointing, everyone saw a warp hovering just beyond the reach of the waves. "That's my ticket back to my time," Kit said as she gazed at it. A little hesitantly, she approached it; she remembered what happened the last time she was in one of those things.

"_Don't worry, child_," Tehreisha's voice chuckled in her mind. "_Nothing's going to happen; I've made sure of it_."

"Well, then, Kit, I guess we'll see in the future," said Vakama, bringing the girl's consciousness back to reality.

"Count on it," Kit confirmed, and, after releasing a deep breath, she walked toward the warp. She stopped right in front of it and turned to face the Turaga. A part of her didn't want to leave the friends that she went through so much with, but she knew her time in this point of history was done. Things would fine, for a while. She waved good-bye, the Turaga waved back, and, with a yell, she leaped into the warp. Like last time, snippets of scenes flashed past her, scenes of events that happened in time. She saw the Matoran living in peace with each other until Makuta returned; the Matoran's struggle against the Rahi when the Makuta infected them with infected masks; the coming of Tahu and his team; the awakening of the Bohrok swarms; the Toas battle against the twin Bahrag queens; the Toa being transformed into the Toa Nuva through the effects of energized protodermis; the Bohrok-Kal stealing the Toa Nuva symbols and the Toas fight to get them back and stop the thieves; the discovery of the Kanohi Avohkii and the journey for the Seventh Toa.

* * *

Pewku's ears picked up a sound like a soft, muted boom or thunderclap somewhere in the distance. Curiosity getting the best of her, the crab skittered into the jungle to investigate.

* * *

"Oof," Kit grunted when her time warp ride came to a halt, dropping her to the ground. Thankfully, in a way, she appeared to have landed on a gentle-leafed bush. Dusting herself off, she looked around to get her bearings. "I'm in Le-Wahi," she said to herself, "I'm back." Faint barking came from somewhere in the distance, barking that sounded very familiar.

* * *

Pewku paused. She was very close to the source of the sound she heard earlier and could sense something was near, but couldn't make out if it was friendly or not. She waited in a small, clear field, as if for a signal.

* * *

"Pewku!" Kit called. In the field, instantly recognizing the voice and as if it was the signal she was listening for, Pewku leaped forward, galloping toward the voice that was calling to her and barking excitedly. She ran through bushes and small trees until she located Kit, ran right into the girl's arms, nearly knocking her to the ground, and went right to work licking her face. Kit let the crab have her fun before she managed to keep Pewku down, then the Rahi settled for affectionately snuggling her face against the girl's chest, chirping. "Yeah, yeah, I know; I missed you too, girl," Kit said as she patted the Ussal's shell. "Where's everybody else?" Pewku gave a bark and skittered back the way she came, Kit in tow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Toa Takanuva and Lewa and Jaller were making their way through the jungle with the Toa of Air in the lead, looking for Pewku. They soon found themselves in the same field the missing crab was in not five minutes ago. "Pewku!" the Toa of Light called and followed with a whistle.

"You think something scared her off?" the Ta-Matoran asked Pewku's former owner.

"Possible, but unlikely," Takanuva thought. "We would've heard her if that were the case. My guess is something she liked must've caught her attention and she went after it."

Just then, the three heard barking, and Lewa saw a brown shape move at the top of a small ridge ahead. "There she is," he pointed.

The Ussal crab continued to bark in an exuberant manner. "What is it, girl?" Takanuva asked as if the crab could hear him.

As if in response, a familiar figure, not quite as tall as a Toa, but taller than a Matoran, appeared over the ridge, waved, and called, "Hey!"

Takanuva gaped, Lewa blinked his eyes several times, and Jaller rubbed his before saying, "No way. Kit?"

"Jaller! Lewa! Takanuva!" Kit called, and ran down the ridge.

The first to recover from his shock, Takanuva ran to meet her and Lewa and Jaller ran after him. The girl leaped into the Light Toa's arms, Lewa patted her head, and Jaller cheered happily. "Mata Nui, it's great to have you back, Kit," said the Toa of Light.

"It's great to be back," Kit agreed as he set her down.

"Hey, don't Jaller-captain and I get a friend-hug too?" asked Lewa with a grin. With a smile, Kit obliged.

* * *

By early sunset, news of Kit's return had spread all over the island. The Le-Matoran even managed to spare a little party at Le-Koro, which Kit couldn't help but attend. Although, because mostly everything was already packed and ready for sailing to Metru Nui, Kit decided to save the other villages the trouble of traveling and unpacking what they would need for an island-wide celebration by coming to them via Gukko bird. Later that day, at the Kini Nui, Kit sat gazing at the crystal she held in her hand. "All of this time?" she thought.

"You have finally found the secret of your abilities," said Vakama as he approached, "and still you seek answers." A momentary pause followed before the Turaga continued. "It would seem that Tehreisha is wiser than we first gave her credit for. The source of your power was not to lie in some stone, but in here," he tapped the girl's chest with his firestaff, "in your heart. So, now that you know the truth, what are you going to do with that crystal?"

"I think I'll keep it," Kit said. "I've kind of grown attached to it."

* * *

That night, Vakama continued his storytelling of his, the Turaga's, and Kit's adventures in the City of Legends. Turned out he was almost done, near the end of the Hordika saga. Even though everything turned out ok, Kit couldn't help but shudder at the memories of that terrible time.

The next day, she helped Toa Gali and the Ga-Matoran get some more stuff packed into some of the transport canoes. When night fell, the Toa of Water, Turaga Nokama, and Hahli, the new Chronicler, started to make way for the Kini Nui. Kit, however, decided to stay behind.

"I'm pretty beat. I think I'm just going to call it a night," she yawned.

"But, Kit, don't you want to hear the rest of Vakama's story?" asked Hahli, even though there had been quite a few times over the past few weeks that she wished she didn't have to be present to hear such dark tales.

"I don't need to hear it, Hahli," said Kit, "I lived it," and she tucked into her hut.


	3. The Human World

The next morning, Kit yawned as she exited her hut

The next morning, Kit yawned as she exited her hut. For some reason, she found herself walking toward the beach. There, she spotted a hunched-over figure that she suspected was Nokama. When she came closer, she was a little surprised to find out it was actually the Turaga of Ta-Koro. "I see Nuju wasn't kidding when he said that for a Turaga of Fire, you sure spend a lot of time by the water," she greeted.

Vakama couldn't suppress a little jump at the girl's sudden approach. "The residents of Ko-Koro are not one's to 'kid', you know," he pointed out, hand to his heartlight. "And, please Kit, don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry. So, what're you doing here, anyway?"

"I came to talk to Turaga Nokama, and found myself thinking."

"Of the stories you've told?"

"Of the journey to Metru Nui. Care to join me?"

"Why not?"

However, Kit took no more than two steps when everything became a blur. She managed to regain her balance and, as quickly as it had come, her vision returned to normal. 'Weird,' she thought, 'for a minute there I suddenly felt so dizzy and tired.' Feeling better, she shrugged, figuring it was nothing, and followed the Turaga.

* * *

Later that day, Kit, Toa Tahu, and Toa Pohatu walked side by side. Earlier, their services were needed in the tree village of Le-Koro, now they were traversing through the borderland between Le-Wahi and Ta-Wahi on their way to Ta-Koro where they would split-up. Suddenly, a loud buzzing filled the air and, before they knew it, they were under attack by three Nui Rama. Within minutes, the giant robotic insects were on the run. "They never stood a chance," Tahu proudly huffed, and Pohatu clanked fists with him. Kit, however, softly moaned as she placed a hand to her head, a spell of dizziness threatening to overtake her. Tahu noticed, "Kit, are you ok?"

"Yeah," Kit answered, "I'm just a little--," and she was out like a light.

"Kit!" the Fire Toa cried as he just managed to catch her. The two Toa tried to wake her up, but the girl was unresponsive and as limp as a piece of string. "What's wrong with her?" the Stone Toa asked nervously.

"I don't know," Tahu confessed, and cradled her in his arms. "Let's get her to Ga-Koro.

* * *

Tehreisha's senses suddenly went on the alert. Darcius was up to something, she could feel it. Concentrating, she tried to figure out what he might be up to now, only to wish a moment later that she hadn't. "No, it can't be," she said to herself. What he was doing now was not only far more diabolical than what he attempted before. Going into the past to alter the future was dangerous and tricky, even for one as powerful as he; it was downright insane, pure and simple.

* * *

At Ga-Koro, Turaga Nokama tried everything she knew, but all of her ideas had been exhausted. Soon after, she asked Toa Pohatu to send word to the other Turaga, asking them to come to Ga-Koro as quickly as possible. Once they all arrived, the Turaga of Water invited them all inside her hut and the Toa waited outside.

Gali turned at the sound of someone approaching, "Kopaka!"

"I came as soon as I heard," the Toa of Ice panted. "What happened?"

"That's what we'd like to know," said Tahu.

"One minute she was fine, then the next she just fell unconscious," explained Pohatu. "Tahu and I couldn't even revive her."

Just then, Turaga Onewa stepped out of the hut. "How is she?" asked Takanuva hopefully.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any good news the Turaga had to offer, "Not well, I'm afraid."

Before the Turaga of Stone could say more, Whenua called, "Onewa, it's happening again."

Onewa went back inside and the Toa followed. To everyone's astonishment and horror, Kit seemed to be fading. The occurrence lasted for only a few moments before she returned to normal. "What's happening to her?" asked Gali.

"Some kind of disease-illness?" Lewa guessed. "Or a growth-phase that humans go through?"

"No, it's far, far worse than that," said a voice, and Tehreisha appeared before them. "This is Darcius' work. From what I sensed, he has succeeded in going into the past of the First Universe, Kit's native realm."

"You'd believe-think he would've understood-realized by now that that thought-plan doesn't work," Matau murmured to Vakama.

"Why would he want to do that?" asked Onua.

"To change Kit's history so she will never exist," Tehreisha answered, earning some shocked expressions from some of the Toa and Turaga. "His plan is to kill her before she's even born."

"But, that means--" said Whenua. "He's attempting to kill her mother," Tehreisha nodded.

Toa Gali knelt beside the girl, thinking. If what she saw earlier was any indication, what would happen to her if Darcius was successful? "Isn't there anything, anything at all, we can do?"

Tehreisha nodded, "Kit has saved you Toa and your realm as you know it countless times. Now, it's your turn to help her."

"How?" asked Takanuva.

"I will teleport all seven of you to the time and place in the First Universe where the problem resides, but, from there, you'll be on your own."

"How are we going to get around without drawing attention to ourselves?" Kopaka asked, remembering that Kit mentioned something about their species not existing in her world.

"I will cast a spell so that any humans who see you will see fellow humans, even when you look at your reflections," Tehreisha answered. As if sensing the question, she continued, "Don't fret, Toa, you're elemental and mask powers will remain at your disposal. Although, I do recommend that you do not use them with the notice of the locals and only use your weapons as an absolute last resort."

The Toa Nuva nodded in understanding. Kit moaned weakly and Tehreisha looked to her. "We must hurry," she reported. "Her vital signs are getting weaker and weaker by the minute." The Gate Guardian spread her arms out toward them and a transparent light blue colored dome engulfed the Toa. Strangely, they didn't feel anything, not even the slightest tingle. "I will also add a little twist to your weapons so that when you combine their powers, Darcius will be sent back to the black hole from whence he came," added Tehreisha. Then, the dome became a bright light. "Now, your quest begins," Tehreisha said. "Good luck, Toa, and may the power protect you."

Just then, Kopaka realized something. "Wait! How do we find her mother?" But, the light overpowered him and his vision blanked out.

* * *

The next thing they all knew, they were standing amongst a crowd of people, just milling around, minding their own business. To their surprise, they all seemed as if nothing out of the ordinary happened; no one even gave them a second glance.

"I don't get it," Pohatu scratched his head.

"Yeah, you'd think they would've noticed seven biomechanical beings like a herd of fusa spotting trouble," agreed Onua.

A gasp from Gali caught the other Toa's attention.

"Gali, what's--" Takanuva began to ask, then stopped short when he and the others saw what startled the Toa of Water.

In a puddle at their feet, they saw their reflections, except instead of Toa Nuva, there was a circle of young adult humans looking at them. All of them, save Pohatu, Onua, and Gali, had white skin. Tahu had red hair, purple eyes, and wore a red shirt underneath a black vest with a flame design, black jeans, and red and black tennis shoes. Gali had long, flowing black hair, deep blue eyes, light brown skin, a skintight light blue tee, denim shorts, and blue and white shoes. Pohatu had skin that was a little darker than Gali's, shoulder length hair that almost matched the same color, brown eyes, a sporty looking light gray t-shirt, jean shorts, and hiking boots. Lewa had blonde hair that was ruffled in a way that made it look nice, yet messy at the same time, emerald green eyes, a light green quarter long-sleeved shirt underneath an open green overshirt, blue jeans, and green sneakers. Kopaka's hair was such a light shade of blonde, it almost seemed white. His left eye was blue and his right, where his scope would've been, was green, and he wore a white hooded sweater, light grayish-silver pants, and white boots. Onua had the appearance of an African-American man with a flat top haircut and green eyes, and wore a black sleeveless t-shirt, dark gray jeans, and black army boots. Takanuva had spiky styled bright blonde hair with a small tail in the back, purple eyes, an open up yellowish-gold overshirt over a white tee, light yellow cargo pants, and white sneakers with gold streaks. However, when they looked at each other and felt their bodies, everything looked and seemed normal.

"What's going on here?" asked Tahu.

"The spell," Onua realized. When the others looked at him questioningly, he reminded them of the Gate Guardian's disguise spell that would make them appear like humans, even in their reflections. Now, the question was how were they going to go about finding Darcius?

* * *

He stood halfway down an alley, back to the wall and eyes closed in concentration. He could not only sense that time was running thin, but that his target was nearby. A slight breeze blew through the locks of his long hair. If everything went according to plan, it would all be over soon.

"Yo, you there," a voice called, breaking his focus.

He looked to find three young men approaching him. One was tapping a baseball bat in his hand and they all had a greedy look in their eyes. "Nice suit," the one who spoke earlier commented as much to himself as to his prey.

"Works for me," he answered.

"Ok, man, hand it over," the one with the bat demanded. "The cash, the wallet, the works."

"And, you can leave here without a scratch," the third one finished.

Darcius let out a bored sigh; he guessed these three were no more than eighteen years old, mere children and no threat to him. With a slight huff, he walked away. "Hey, don't you go walkin' out on us. Fork over the dough," the leader called to him. When he didn't respond, or even slowed his pace, the boy found it even more infuriating than any reply he could've received. "Hey, do you hear me, man?" the leader tried again. As if in reply, Darcius stopped and slowly turned around, giving the boys a good, clear look at his red eyes.

The three youths were immediately in fear's grasp. "Man, who is that guy?" the bat boy asked.

"I don't know, but he's gotta get his eyes checked," whispered the other one. "That's the freakiest case of red-eye I've ever seen."

"Red-eye, nothin' you moron," said the leader, "that's his real eye color."

"I had considered you boys not worth wasting my power, let alone my time," Darcius coolly as he lifted his hand. "But, I have found your tough-guy attitude to be rather annoying." He unleashed a flurry of his energy bolts so hard and fast that the boys never stood a chance. Darcius just stared at his handiwork and sighed, "Young people." Then, knowing that the screaming would've attracted some attention, he walked away.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Toa Nuva had spilt up and searched the area for any clue as to Darcius' or Kit's mother's whereabouts. Gali returned to the rendezvous point to find Lewa and Takanuva there.

"Anything," asked the Toa of Light.

The Water Toa shook her head, "You two?"

"Not-nothing," answered Lewa.

Then, Gali noticed something going on behind Lewa and Takanuva and smiled, "Don't look now brothers, but I think those girls back there like you two."

"Why do you say that?" asked Takanuva.

"Because they're looking right at you two with that look in their eyes," she answered. The Toa of Light and Air turned around to find a trio of young teenaged girls giggling and, indeed, looking right at them.

"He's cute."

"I like the one with the green shirt."

"Think they're related."

The two Toa couldn't help but blush, which seemed to encourage the girl's giggling. Gali just smiled and shook her head. As the minutes rolled by, the remaining Toa came back, but not one of them had found anything. Suddenly, something on the TV screens in the window of a nearby electronics store caught Kopaka's attention. The Toa, along with a few other people, gathered around to see and hear what was going on. A newswoman was giving a news broadcast. "This just in: Local authorities are now investigating what appears to be a triple homicide. After responding to a 911 call, the police have discovered the bodies of three young adult males, estimated to be no more than eighteen years old, in this alleyway on Main Street. Right now, the cause of death is believed to be electrocution; however, what authorities can't figure out at the time being is how the young men could've been so considering there was not a thundercloud in the sky and there are no power generators in the area."

The Toa Nuva looked to each other, knowing what had happened to those boys—Darcius. "Excuse me," Pohatu asked a man next to him, "where can my friends and I find Main Street?"

"Just four blocks due north," the man answered.

With a plan in mind, the Toa were off to find Darcius. "Hey, baby, where did a goddess like you come from?" a voice asked Gali before she could move her feet.

Looking behind her, she found a man and immediately didn't like the way he was looking at her; it was an affectionate look, but not of the friendly kind. It was more of a perverted kind of look. "Mata Nui," she answered his question.

The man chuckled, "A sense of humor, I like that."

Gali politely excused herself to go catch up with the others—only to find the man purposely blocking her way.

"There's a burger joint just down the street. Care to come with?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Aw, c'mon. You know you want to."

Gali could feel herself feeling very tempted to use her water powers on this guy. No matter what she did or said, he either kept blocking her path or trying to convince her that she didn't really mean what she was saying. Basically, she felt trapped. Just when Gali was about to decide she had just about had enough of this creep, a hand appeared on his shoulder. Both she and the man turned their heads to discover it was Kopaka. "I believe the lady just said no," said the Toa of Ice.

The man slapped his hand away, saying, "This ain't none of your business, man, so take a hike." Believing he had made his point, the man turned his attention back to Gali.

However, Kopaka wasn't finished with him yet, as he quickly found out when he found himself forcefully turned around, picked up by the front of his shirt, and pinned against the wall. To say the least, the man wasn't sure what surprised him the most—that this shrimp of a man could pick him like he was nothing, or how cold his hand felt. "Get this straight," the Ice Toa hissed. "When a female says no, she means no. And, if you want to save yourself a world of trouble, you will do well to remember that. Got it?" The man nodded, the Toa of Ice simply let him drop to the ground, and the two Toa simply took their leave.

* * *

The Toa Nuva had just reached Main Street, when a terrible crash was heard just two blocks to their right. With his power of speed, Pohatu reached the source first and gasped. It was a car crash, and a bad one. Seeing something in the window, he discovered there was a woman inside. She appeared to be unconscious. The Toa of Stone dashed for the vehicle and was about to rip the car door off when he heard Tahu shout, "Pohatu, get down!" The Toa of Fire activated his shield just when purple energy bolts would've struck the Stone Toa.

Once the Toa had gathered around, Darcius revealed himself. Seeing their confused expressions, Darcius cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Darcius?" asked Lewa.

Realizing that it was his hair that they were staring at, he said, "A new look. Now, where were we? Oh, yes." Again, Darcius attacked, but Tahu blocked it with his shield and Pohatu sprinted, ramming into Darcius and sent him skidding on the ground. Gali then followed up with a water blast, but Darcius shimmered away from the fight.

The Toa, then, turned their attention back to the woman in the car, and discovered there was a man with her as well. Pohatu and Onua opened the doors and gently helped the two out. The Toa immediately noticed the woman's swollen belly, and wondered if there was something wrong with her. Takanuva ran into a nearby restaurant, asking one of the employees to get help, and was back after a few minutes.

It was then that the woman began to stir, "What happened?" Upon seeing the car, her eyes widened, "Oh no!"

"It's alright," Gali said soothingly, trying to keep the woman calm. "You're going to be ok."

"No, you don't understand," said the woman. "I'm pregnant; I'm due to have my baby soon. My husband and I were on our way to the hospital."

The Toa just stared in shock; Tehreisha mentioned that she was going to drop them off near where Darcius planned to strike. Could this woman be Kit's mother?

* * *

Disclaimer: I own the Toa Nuva's human forms and Kit's family.


	4. Birth & Difficulties

Disclaimer: As mentioned before, I own Kit's family.

* * *

At the hospital, the Toa waited worriedly for word on the woman and man, whose names they learned were Brenda and Wayne. Soon, Wayne found and thanked them for their help and told them that both he and his wife amazingly suffered only minor injuries. However, they weren't leaving the hospital just yet for, just then, Brenda had gone into labor. Fifteen minutes passed when a cry of, "Daddy!" echoed through the hallway. The group turned to find a little girl with light brown curly hair running with a young woman following her. Wayne gathered her into her arms, thanked the babysitter, and paid her. Seeing Lewa's confused expression, Kopaka whispered, "She did mention she has an older sister."

* * *

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, day turned into night, and still there was no word on Brenda. "I can't believe it actually takes this long for one human infant to be born," Takanuva mumbled.

Finally, a doctor came. "Which one of you is Wayne Walsh?" he asked, seeing that there were an assembled number of men in the room.

"I am," Wayne stood up, holding his daughter, Jackie. "How's my wife? Are she and the baby ok?"

The doctor smiled proudly and shook Wayne's hand, "Congratulations, Mr. Walsh. You're wife is just fine and you have a new, beautiful, healthy baby girl."

Wayne stood there, lost for words, but looking very relieved. "Can we see her?" he finally manages to ask. The doctor smiles and leads the way.

Halfway down the hall, he opens a door to reveal a tired and happy Brenda cradling a little bundle of cloth. Wayne and Jackie immediately go in, but the doctor stops the Toa when they try to enter. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid only family members can be allowed in for now."

"It's alright, doctor," said Wayne. "They may come in if they want."

"Please, doctor? Just this once?" Brenda pleaded. "My husband, my new baby, and I probably wouldn't even be here now if weren't for them."

The doctor looked at the family, at the Toa, and back at the family before he smiled as he shook his head, consenting to the mother's request, and left.

"So . . . what's her name?" asked Lewa.

"Katherine," Brenda answered.

"It's her," the Air Toa said quietly with wonder in his voice.

Noticing the questioning looks on their faces, Tahu ushered the others out of the room with an, "Excuse us."

After the Toa closed the door behind them, the family looked to each other, shared a shrug, and continued where they left off—admiring their newest member.

* * *

"You almost gave us away," Tahu quietly scolded at Lewa once they were in the hallway.

"Sorry-oops," the Toa of Air apologized, "but, you all realize-know what this means, right?"

Onua nodded, "I remember Kit mentioning one time that Katherine is her real name, 'Kit's' just a nickname she goes by, that she prefers to be called."

"Not to mention that that family matches her descriptions of her own," Pohatu spoke up.

"And, I seriously doubt Darcius would've gone through all that trouble to cause that accident if Brenda wasn't the mother," said Gali. "Therefore, that baby has to be her."

"Unfortunately, despite our successful efforts earlier, she's not safe yet," Kopaka said. "If we know Darcius as well as I believe we do, he hasn't given up."

The other Toa nodded their agreement with apprehensive expressions; they all knew that, sooner or later, Darcius would be back to try again, and they highly doubted that he would wait until Kit was brought home for the first time. Their suspicions were confirmed shortly after when Wayne mentioned that over the last few weeks, it seemed a lot had been happening with his wife; accidents that could not be fully explained. The Toa knew all too well what was happening—Darcius had been trying to kill Brenda to ensure Kit would never be born.

* * *

Later that night, Wayne took Jackie home, Brenda was allowed to remain at the hospital to recuperate, and Kit was placed in the nursery with the other infants. The Toa made like they were leaving and said goodbye to the family. Once they were outside, when they were sure no one was looking, they spread out around the complex of the hospital; Darcius was going to try something, and when he did, they'd be ready. The minutes slowly rolled by until they had turned into an hour, but there was still no sign of him and the Toa were all beginning to get restless.

At Kopaka's post, a young woman had caught sight of the Toa of Ice, 'Ooh, local hottie.' "Hiya, handsome," she greeted as she walked past him. Kopaka started for a second and looked at the woman, who just smiled. Turning back around, the Ice Toa could feel his cheeks slightly warming, thus finding himself both very grateful that none of the other Toa had seen that and unable to wait until they could return to Mata Nui; the sooner that happened, the sooner he wouldn't have to worry about attracting any of those odd looks from human females. Meanwhile, at her post, Gali waited and wondered; she thought that Darcius would've made his move by now. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement.

It was Darcius entering the hospital. Making sure nobody was around, she reached up and released a squirt of water. The other Toa saw and recognized their sister's signal, and were by her side in minutes. "What is it?" asked Onua.

"He's here," Gali answered.

* * *

Inside, Darcius walked a little more down the hall, toward the maternity ward, before casually leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. Spying a security camera, he flicked an index finger, releasing a tiny bolt of energy, and shorted out the cameras and lights all over the complex. Then, as if nothing happened, he continued on his way. Finally inside the ward, he located the babe that was Kit and gently picked her up. The baby stirred awake and looked upon the face of her captor, but, before she could utter a sound, Darcius placed a hand on her head, and she went right back to sleep. "Can't have you alerting anyone now, can I?" he asked as if the little one he now cradled in his arms could hear him.

Covering the infant with his cloak, Darcius made his way out of the ward with the intention of walking out with the baby. "Let her go, Darcius," a voice demanded from ahead.

Stopping, he found the Toa blocking his way to the door that was his only way out. Now he could see it, a transparent blue aura surrounded their figures. "I see that the Gate Guardian casted a spell over all of you that disguises your true forms," he commented.

"Hand Kit over, now," Tahu commanded.

"I think not," Darcius refused, then started speaking some words that the Toa couldn't understand. Then, faster than they could react, he let loose his energy bolts.

The Toa Nuva were blown away, but otherwise not seriously hurt, and Darcius vanished with Kit in tow. Groaning, the Toa pulled themselves up to their feet. "Wonder what that was all about?" said Pohatu; though their bodies were aching, they were all expecting the attack to be a little more severe. Suddenly, a light flashed on them and a scream echoed through the hall. They turned to find a young nurse staring at them in fright and she pulled the fire alarm. Not sure what the lady's problem was, but not wanting to stick around to find out, the Toa Nuva ran for the exit door.

They had just made it outside when three security guards spotted them. "Hey!" one of them called as they pulled out their guns. "Stop or we'll shoot!"

The Toa, however, didn't stop, and the guards gave chase. One managed to grab hold of Onua's legs, tackling him to the ground, and another joined in while the third called on his radio for backup. The Toa of Earth, left with no other choice, shoved the two into their teammate like they were nothing and got up running with a "Sorry." One of the guards started firing his gun. Though the bullets missed and he had no idea what the little things were, Tahu figured that, judging from the sounds of them ricocheting off the pavement, they couldn't afford to get one inside of them. And so, he activated his Kanohi Hau and a shield surrounded him and his friends.

When it soon became apparent that the guards were not going to give up any time soon, the Toa of Fire let his shield just long enough to let Lewa have a go. "Wind fly!" cried the Toa of Air, and a powerful gust of wind sent the guards flying. When they recovered their senses, the Toa were gone.

* * *

Finally, with the hospital behind, but still within visual range, the Toa Nuva stopped to catch their breath. "Well, that went well," Pohatu said sarcastically.

"I don't get why that lady was so scared when she saw us and those guards started shooting at us," said Takanuva.

"Maybe they thought-believed we stole Kit?" Lewa guessed.

Kopaka shook his head, finding it unlikely that that was the case. Tahu thought about it when he suddenly stopped and called for the other's attention. They stared at their reflections in a window—they were back to normal. The nurse back at the hospital screamed and the guards attacked them because they weren't seeing normal people, they were seeing biomechanical creatures.

"But, how?" was all Onua could think to say.

"Darcius," Kopaka hissed, "that blast he sent at us must've broken Tehreisha's spell."

Just then, one of the TV's in the window switched to a newsman with a Breaking News Report. "This just in: There has been an attack at the local Good Heart Hospital that has left its lights and security cameras inoperative. A group of seven people spotted fleeing from the scene are believed to be responsible. Details are sketchy and, despite their best efforts, authorities were unable to apprehend the suspects."

"One of my partners and I managed to tackle one of them to the ground while the third man in our number called for backup, when he just pushed off like he was Superman, or something," said one of the guards.

"When they wouldn't stop I started shooting, but, somehow, our bullets didn't make contact," reported another. "We did all we could, but they managed to flee the scene."

Finally, the third said, "We are unable to name a motive for this unusual attack at the moment."

"Police are issuing an order that, at least for the night, everyone stay in their homes and to keep their doors and windows locked," said the news reporter. "And, if you happen to spot any of the creatures, to call the authorities."

As the news reporter continued on with other news, the Toa looked to each other; getting around town, even in the dark, just became much more difficult.

* * *

After avoiding being seen by the public for quite some time, the Toa Nuva found their way to an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town. Here they decided to rest and strategize. Time was running out; they had to find Kit and fast, if they weren't already too late. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a wailing cry, which was almost instantly followed by a voice. Takanuva left to investigate, then beckoned for the others to come. When they gathered around, the Light Toa pointed down below where, low and behold, were Kit and Darcius.

Darcius' right hand was sparking with energy, ready to deliver a killing blow on the helpless infant. "A fitting end for a fitting adversary," he mused to himself. However, before he could strike, a holler caught his attention.

Lewa swung down on a chain-and-hook as deftly as if it were a vine and kicked Darcius away, sending him into a pile of empty boxes with a crash. As Darcius fought his way free of the boxes, the Toa lined up between him and the baby. Back on his feet, and looking really ticked off, Darcius unleashed his energy bolts. Tahu, however, activated his shield and Takanuva used his power to illuminate his body. The bright light blinded Darcius and he staggered back a little. Seeing his chance, the Toa of Fire lunged at the man. But, Darcius moved quickly and dodged his opponent's attacks, only barely. While he continued to dodge and try to gain some distance from the Fire Toa, Darcius noticed something in the shadows. It was Onua, and he had Kit—the whole thing was a distraction. Leaping away, he unleashed more bolts, and these ones hit their marks. The Toa collapsed to the ground, feeling like they'd been struck by lightning, and, with a huff, Darcius walked around them to follow the Toa of Earth. However, his foot suddenly stuck and felt very cold. He looked down to find it was not only encased in ice, but frozen to the ground. He switched his vision behind him and, sure enough, Kopaka was panting with all of the effort it took to just prop himself up and hold his ice blade aloft. One more burst of bolts, the Ice Toa collapsed, and didn't get up. "Out cold," said Darcius as he freed his foot. "Pun intended."

* * *

Onua, hearing footsteps that did not sound like those of his brothers or sister, took cover amongst some barrels. Hiding didn't sit well with him, but he and the others agreed that the best way to keep Kit away from Darcius was the one who carried her had to not fight him. "Come out, Earth Toa," a voice called—Darcius' voice. "Come out and hand me the child, and I'll let you and your friends leave without another scratch." Onua hardly dared to move a muscle, let alone breathe. Kit whimpered softly in his arms, but he quietly shushed her. Suddenly, a crash echoed throughout the room and a pile of crates scattered everywhere. Darcius then moved on to another pile. Horrified, Onua immediately realized his plan—he was trying to smoke him out, so to speak. Worst of all, there was no way he could dig through the metal wall or floor without making a lot of racket. Unfortunately, Darcius was getting closer to their hiding place. Just when the Toa of Earth was about jump out and take his chances, he heard Darcius grunt and the sounds of a struggle. Carefully taking a peek, he saw Pohatu wrestling with the man. It was at that moment that he felt the sudden presence of a hand on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Pohatu managed to pin Darcius' hands to the ground, but Darcius countered by giving the Toa of Stone a second dose of energy bolts. The Stone Toa cried out in pain as he was sent flying and crashed into the wall. Darcius was about to advance when he heard footsteps. He turned find Onua making a break for it with a bundle still in his arms. He fired another set of bolts square in the Toa's back, sending him to the ground. As he approached, Onua groaned in pain; that stung.

Darcius held out his hand, sparking with energy, "No mercy."

"No baby," said the Toa of Earth as he rolled over and showed the bundle he was carrying was nothing but a small bucket.

The Earth Toa, ignoring the pain, quickly took advantage of Darcius' confusion and threw the bucket at him, following up with a ram with his shoulder. Darcius fell and skidded on the floor a few feet, the wind knocked out of him. As he fought to catch his breath, Darcius caught a blade moving at him at the corner of his eye and dodged. Tahu glared fireballs at him. Together, the Toa Nuva placed their tools together, Gali adding her power from afar, and fired a light blue ray of light. The ray struck its target and, screaming more out of defeat then pain, Darcius disappeared. With the battle finally won, Lewa and Pohatu collapsed to their knees, exhausted.

"Gali!" Tahu called as he saw the Toa of Water approach. "Gali! Kit? Is she--"

The Water Toa shushed him before he could finish and whispered, "She's sleeping."

The remaining Toa crowded around, and sure enough Kit was sleeping soundly in their sister's arms as if nothing had happened.

"I swear, that girl could sleep through an earthquake," Pohatu chuckled.

"Let's get her back to the hospital," said Gali. The Toa made their exit just when a cacophony of police sirens was heard coming closer.

* * *

At the hospital, the Toa Nuva snuck their way back inside and made their way toward the maternity ward. The staff that were still there were relieved and yet at a loss to explain why the lights and cameras weren't working, but the machines that some patients depended on were unaffected by the strange blackout. Kopaka peeked through the window into the room where all of the babies were kept, even taking the precaution of using his scope. When he gave the all clear, he and the others found their way into the room and Gali, almost reluctantly, gently put Kit back in her crib. She and her brothers took a minute to gaze upon the babe before them; she looked so peaceful, so innocent, so harmless, that it was almost hard to believe that the teenager back in their world and the newborn in front of them were the same person. "To think," the Toa of Ice thought aloud, "that in seventeen years, that little one's going to be both Makuta and Darcius' worst nightmare." The other Toa nodded, understanding what their friend meant. Just then, Kit yawned and blinked her eyes awake. At first, her reaction to the strange beings around her was confusion. Then, just like that, she smiled and quietly giggled, her eyes shining brightly. With a smile of her own, Gali gently touched the baby's cheek. Unable to contain their curiosity any longer, Lewa let Kit grip onto his finger while Takanuva gently patted her head, soft with the down that would become her hair.

When Tahu shifted closer to the crib, Kit looked straight at him with her bright and curious blue eyes. Then, she did something that caught the Toa of Fire slightly off guard—she held out her fist. The Fire Toa gently touched his fist with hers, and a light blue light shone before them. "_You can come home now, Toa Nuva_," Tehreisha's voice greeted.

"But, what about Kit?" asked Pohatu.

"_She's safe now, Pohatu_," Tehreisha answered.

Each of the Toa took one last glance at Baby Kit before jumping into the warp until only Tahu and Kopaka were left.

"What is it?" asked the Toa of Ice, seeing that his brother Toa was not moving.

"You don't think . . .," Tahu wondered, remembering how the baby offered her fist for a fist-slap. It was as if she already knew something about them.

The Toa of Fire and Ice looked at the infant, then at each other, and said, "Nah,", and they jumped into the warp after the others. The warp disappeared and, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, little Kit snuggled into her blanket and fell asleep, unaware of times to come.

* * *

Back in the present, in the Bionicle world, all of the Toa found themselves where they started—in a Ga-Koro hut.

"Welcome back, Toa Nuva," Hahli greeted, followed by the Turaga.

"What about Kit?" asked Gali.

"Someone call?" a voice inquired, and Kit's head perked up above the small crowd. The Toa breathed a sigh of relief; their human friend was alive and well.

"She improved-recovered a few minutes before you all came back," Turaga Matau explained.

"And, they told me everything about what you guys were up to," said Kit. "So, I guess I owe you all, big time."

After giving it some thought, Tahu smiled and said, "Let's just say we're even."

Kit nodded in agreement.


	5. Darcius Revealed

Aside from the chirping of little insects, the jungle was quiet. The stars shone like they had for many centuries. The bright, nearly-golden full moon silhouetted a figure who sat on a tree branch. Lewa slowly scanned his surroundings, taking in every possible detail. Suddenly, he heard a twig snap down below—someone, or something, was approaching. "Who's there?" he asked.

"Relax, Lewa, it's only me," replied a voice, and the golden form of Takanuva, the Toa of Light, walked into the clearing. "Couldn't sleep, either?" asked the Light Toa.

"No. You?"

"Nope, too excited."

The Toa of Light looked up at the Air Toa and noticed his eyes seemed to have a bit of a sad look to them, and he had a good feeling why. The Matoran, Toa, and Turaga were going to be leaving for Metru Nui the coming morning and some, especially among the Toa, were finding it a little hard to believe that they were going to be leaving Mata Nui for good soon.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" he asked the Toa of Air.

Lewa leaped down from his perch and landed in front of his new brother. "Don't get me wrong, Toa-brother. I am anticipating this trip-journey to the City of Legends, it's just . . ."

Takanuva comfortingly placed a hand on the Air Toa's shoulder, "I know. This jungle, this island is practically the only home you've ever known."

Lewa smiled, and the two Toa decided it was time to get back to their respective villages before someone started to worry and to try and get some sleep before morning. The Turaga mentioned that they wanted to depart for the tunnel to Metru Nui first thing. However, they didn't get far when they both felt a strange presence in the air—an evil presence. Both Toa unlimbered their tools and stood back-to-back, senses on the alert. Suddenly, a purple bolt struck them so fast they didn't have time to react. Lewa, groaning, managed to lift his head up in time to find a familiar cloaked form heading for the barely conscious Toa of Light—Darcius. Thinking quickly, the Air Toa let loose a blast of wind. Darcius let out an involuntary yelp of surprise when he was lifted off the ground, but recovered in time to safely land on his feet. Turning to Lewa, he let loose a flurry of bolts, which the Air Toa used his air katana to bat away. Suddenly, Darcius' eyes became enlightened with a bright, harsh light. The glare from the light was so intense, it hurt Lewa's eyes. Try as he might, he couldn't shield his eyes and still keep Darcius in sight. The next thing the Toa knew, it felt like some force was trying to push him away. He tried to stand his ground, but to no avail. He found himself flying back and felt his head slam into something, most likely the base of a tree. Head pounding like crazy, the Toa of Air tried to get up, but unconsciousness threatened his efforts as he went down and his eyes closed.

Darcius grabbed hold of Takanuva's arm and started laughing in triumph. "Lewa!" the Toa of Light called as he instinctively reached out his hand. Darcius' laughter seemed to continue to ring out through the clearing, even after he and his captive shimmered away.

"Brother," Lewa uttered as he tried again to get up, mere centimeters off the ground. Unfortunately, darkness claimed him and he collapsed.

* * *

"Lewa?"

"Toa Lewa, can you speak-hear us?"

The Toa of Air groaned as his eyes opened slowly. For a long minute, his vision was blurry, but it soon cleared up to reveal two familiar masks. "Onua-brother? Turaga Matau?" he asked.

"Lie still," the Toa of Earth said gently as he laid a hand on his fellow Toa's shoulder to steady him, "you've been hurt bad."

The Air Toa did as he was told, his head throbbed terribly, and Matau offered some medicine. After which, Lewa relayed to them Takanuva's abduction and how he tried to help the Light Toa. "The last thing I recall-remember is listen-hearing Takanuva-brother calling my name and Darcius laughing," he concluded.

A long and uncomfortable pause followed before Onua finally said, "This is grim news, Turaga."

"Indeed, Toa Onua," Matau nodded.

Hearing a knock on the door, the Turaga gave the word to enter. Tamaru stepped in and announced, "Turaga Matau, the other Turaga and the Toa have come-arrived."

"Thank you, Tamaru," said the Turaga, "inform-tell them I'll be there in a quick-minute." The Le-Matoran bowed and left. "Watch him, Onua," Matau instructed. The Toa of Earth nodded and tended to his fallen brother as the Turaga took leave.

He found his brother and sister Turaga and their Toa gathered at the courtyard next door. As he made his way over, a caw sounded in the air. Everyone looked up to find a Gukko bird coming in for a landing and it had a rider. It was Kit. The girl hopped off, patted and praised the bird, let it loose, and joined the others.

"You made it," said Pohatu.

"I came as soon as I heard," Kit answered.

When Matau reached them, Gali took one question out of everyone's mouths, "How is he?"

"Toa Lewa will smart-hurt for a while, but he'll be alright," assured the Turaga of Le-Koro.

"What happened?" Turaga Vakama asked the second question.

For a brief moment, Matau looked down at his feet, as if he couldn't bear to meet the group's eyes. "I much-fear that the Toa of Light is in mortal-grave danger," the Turaga finally spoke, and he told the assembled Turaga, Toa, and their young human ally what Lewa told him. When Matau finished, Tahu's fist shook with anger and anticipation, but he managed to get himself back under control when he spotted Kopaka glaring at him.

"Now what? Where can we find Takanuva?" asked Pohatu.

"Knowing Darcius, he could've taken him anywhere," noted Gali.

Kit was trying to think of some way they could locate the Toa of Light, when she remembered something."I think I know where he is," she said. Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, the girl pointed toward a small mountain near Ko-Wahi."I just remembered: As I was flying here, I thought I noticed a flash of light on the peak of that mountain, but it seemed to vanish as soon as I noticed it. A split second later, I just had the faint, but still uncomfortable, feeling that something wasn't right. I'll bet my muddy boots that that's where Takanuva and Darcius are."

"Then, that's where we've go to quick-go," said a voice.

Everyone turned around to find Lewa with Onua at his side. "Are you sure you're up to it, Lewa?" asked Gali.

"Much-sure, sister," replied the Toa of Air. "In fact, I feel better than ever."

If anyone was skeptical about Lewa's recovery, they didn't say anything; they didn't have any time to waste. With their minds made up, Kit and the Toa Nuva headed for Ko-Wahi, leaving the village of air and the Turaga behind. "Mata Nui, protect them," Vakama prayed as he gripped his firestaff with both hands and gave a little squeeze.

* * *

Kopaka, naturally, led the way once he and the others neared his domain, guiding them along the path that would take them to the top of the peak, Darcius, and, hopefully, Takanuva. All the while, everyone felt more than a little antsy; there was nothing to not lead them to conclude that Darcius might be expecting them. As the group traveled farther and farther up the mountain, they all had the unnerving feeling that something about the mountain wasn't right. As if that wasn't bad enough, every now and then either the girl or one of the Toa would catch a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. But, whenever Tahu, Onua, or Kopaka investigated, nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. However, the lack of evidence did not shake off the feeling that they were being watched, even stalked.

At one point, they reached a little open area. It was then that Tahu's ears caught the sound of what sounded like a low growl and he froze. It was only by chance that Kit looked back and saw something crouched behind the Toa of Fire. "Tahu, look out!" she called, but the thing pounced and tackled the Fire Toa to the ground before he could react. Quick action on the Toa of Stone's part saved Tahu from injury. Pohatu kicked the creature, which yelped from the blow as it skidded on the ground, off of his fellow Toa. As the thing staggered back to its feet, Kit recognized it immediately. "It's one of Darcius' dog monsters." A chorus of growls sounded, and, within minutes, the group was surrounded by a whole pack of the monstrous canine-like creatures.

"Any suggestions?" asked Onua.

"We fight them off," answered Tahu.

The monsters moved in for the kill, and Kit and the Toa Nuva repelled them with elemental, mask, and energy powers. With over half of their number badly wounded, the pack dispersed and retreated. "Some welcoming committee," Pohatu commented sarcastically.

"C'mon, we must be getting close," Kit urged; apparently, Darcius was having some of his monsters keep guard, to keep her and the Toa from reaching their goal.

* * *

As expected, Kit and the others hadn't seen the last of Darcius' guard monsters. More and more of his creatures came at them at what seemed like every turn. Finally, they seemed to gain a reprieve; no monsters had attacked them in the last twenty minutes. Gali grunted with effort as she reached the top of a ledge they had to climb. Lewa and Pohatu, who were already there, helped her up. For some reason, as the three Toa helped her and their remaining number to the ledge, the fact that they were getting closer to the peak of the mountain seemed to make Kit more anxious than relieved. Everyone stopped for a little bit to catch their breath. "Guys!" a voice called, startling them. They looked up and, sure enough, there was Takanuva, tied halfway up a stake. Darcius was also there, standing at the base of the stake. "Guys, help!" cried the Toa of Light.

"Takanuva!" Gali called back with fear for her brother in her voice.

Looking into Darcius' eyes, Kit, for a brief moment, felt fear rush up and down her spine. "I see you guys weren't kidding when you said he did something different with his hair," she commented when she noticed the man's long, dark hair.

"Lewa, get up there. Pohatu, we're going to need your speed," ordered Tahu.

The Toa of Air and Stone nodded and Lewa took to the air while Pohatu shared the power of his Mask of Speed. "Hey, wait up," Kit called to the Air Toa as she summoned her Toa armor suit. She ran, took a big jump . . . and crashed back down to the ground. Kopaka looked to Onua, who merely shrugged. "I forgot," the girl admitted slightly winded. "This Toa armor suit doesn't have a rocket pack."

Meanwhile, Darcius turned to Takanuva and prepared to unleash an onslaught of energy bolts. Getting desperate, the Toa of Light struggled against his bonds, but they held tight; he couldn't even move. What was worse, his elemental and mask powers could do nothing to free him. 'Wait, maybe there is something,' he thought to himself; it might not free him from the ropes, but it might allow the others some time to get to the peak. Calling upon his power over light, a great burst surrounded his form, blinding Darcius.

Darcius cried out in surprise and slight pain as he discharged his bolts and covered his eyes. "I was going to make your death as swift and painless as possible," he growled as tried to get rid of the spots that danced in front of his eyes. "But, now it's going to be so slow and excruciating, you'll be begging me to just end your miserable existence."

Again, Darcius prepared to strike, only to find himself rammed aside and the wind knocked out of him. Catching his breath, he found Kit and the Toa Nuva standing between him and Light Toa, weapons drawn. While the others kept him busy, Kit and Onua tended to Takanuva, and once the Toa of Light was free, he joined in the fight. However, if they were expecting Darcius to back down soon, they were badly mistaken. 'He must either be desperate or a glutton for punishment,' Kit thought as she noticed that Darcius still refused to give up, despite being sorely outnumbered. Lewa used a gust of wind to blast him up into the air, and Tahu activated his shield to repel him when he came back down. Kit and the Toa then made run for it, leaving a hurting, and really ticked off, Darcius behind.

* * *

They were nearing the base of the mountain, thanks to the power of the Mask of Speed, when Darcius took them by surprise. Tahu almost didn't get his shield up in time to save them from their enemy's energy bolts. Though the Fire Toa's shield did protect them from harm, it didn't stop them from being thrown back by the sheer force of the attack. Pohatu let out a startled cry just before he hit the water of the river by the path with a loud splash. "Pohatu!" Takanuva called. Gali was on her feet in an instant and ran for the river, intending to dive in after her brother. Unfortunately, Darcius struck her with more bolts, slamming her into the rock wall of the mountain. The Toa of Water slumped, unconscious. Darcius turned his attention to the others in time to shield himself from an attack from Kit.

* * *

Eyes wide with fear, Pohatu flailed his arms and kicked his legs in a desperate attempt to resurface, despite the fact he knew he couldn't swim. His heavy armor making him too heavy to float, he sank as his movements started to become more and more sluggish. This scene was all too familiar to him; it was exactly what Turahk made him see when the Rahkshi struck him with its staff. Feeling the ache in his lungs turn into a burn, the Toa of Stone increased his efforts; he couldn't hold his breath much longer. However, no matter what he tried, he continued to sink. Suddenly, his breath expired and the world started to look darker than before. His blurry vision caught sight of a large shape approaching. His last thought was it probably some marine Rahi coming to investigate a potential meal. Other than the very very slight sense of something grasping his sinking hand, the Toa of Stone saw and knew no more.

* * *

Girl and man exchanged attack after attack, and they kept dodging, blocking, or taking a few hits. Kit lunged in with a punch, but Darcius grabbed her fist and prepared a strike of his own. However, Kit grabbed his wrist and flip-kicked him, knocking him out. Turning to the Toa, the girl noticed that one was missing. "Hey, where's Kopaka?" Her answer came when they all heard a gasp and splashing sound at the river.

It was Kopaka struggling with the unconscious form of Pohatu. Lewa and Onua ran for the bank as the Toa of Ice swam as best as he could, considering the Stone Toa was weighing him down. "Get him," he told the Toa of Air and Earth, and they grabbed hold of Pohatu and hauled him up as Gali and Kit gave the Ice Toa a hand out of the water. The Toa of Stone hung limply in his brother's arms before they set him down.

For a moment that seemed to be forever, nothing happened. Tahu knelt beside his friend and gently shook his shoulder, "Pohatu? Pohatu!"

Whether it was the shaking, Tahu's voice, or a little of both no one knew, but the next thing everyone knew Pohatu was coughing out water and gasping for air. "Are you ok?" Onua asked as the Stone Toa began to try to sit up.

"I think so," Pohatu replied, "except for being wet." With a grin, the Toa of Fire used his power over heat to help dry off Pohatu. "Thanks," thanked the Toa of Stone.

"Don't thank me, thank Kopaka," the Fire Toa gestured with his thumb. "When Gali got knocked out, he was the one who dove in to save you."

The Stone Toa smiled and offered his fist to the Toa of Ice. Kopaka looked at it, then at Pohatu, and gave a small smile as he returned the gesture. Hearing voices calling out to them, Kit and the Toa turned to find Turaga Vakama and Whenua, along with Jaller and Nuparu. "You're alive!" the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard exclaimed as he came to a stop by the Toa of Light. "For a while back there, I thought you were Darcius-bones."

"Almost, but not quite," Takanuva grinned.

Hearing some groaning, everyone looked to find Darcius staggering to his feet. Tahu was about to move in when Kit placed her arm in his path, stopping him. "He's mine," she said, and charged. Before Darcius knew what was happening, he briefly saw Kit's powered-up fist flying for him before it struck him. "That was for my Mom," the girl declared. Then, she unleashed a powered-up energy ball, "My Dad." A ball done with the Dragonball technique was released, "My sister." Now, she was just a yard away from him, "And, this is for me," and she let loose an energy beam at near pointblank range, right at his face. Darcius screamed in agony as he was sent flying back. Finished, Kit walked back to the group who looked at her in shock.

"Don't you think that hit to the face was a little too much?" Onua asked.

"He not only tried to kill a friend of mine, but he also tried to destroy my family," the girl simply replied. "No one, and I mean no one, messes with my family or friends."

"Whoa, remind me never to get on your bad side," said Nuparu.

Darcius' hisses of pain could be heard. When they turned to look, they found he had his hand to his face, where Kit struck him. Although, on closer examination, they found what appeared to be rips in his skin, as if it was peeling off. But, what really began to freak them out was the glint of red they saw between his fingers where his eye should be. Something was not right here. "That's it," Darcius growled as he slowly slid his hand from his wound. "I've had enough of this. It's time to end this once and for all!" With the hand removed Kit, the Toa, Turaga, and Matoran all saw an awful sight that took their breaths away. The skin was gone, revealing a dark void with an angular red beacon for an eye—and it was looking right at Kit. "You, child, have resisted me, weakened me, defeated me, and now have wounded me far worse than you've ever done before," he said as his form began to change. His voice was beginning to change as well, taking on a little deeper tone and more warped-like sound. "But, it all ends now!" Before their eyes, Darcius grew and his clothes and skin just seemed to melt away. When it was over, what stood before them was a ten-foot humanoid-like monster whose body seemed to be made of dark energy.

"What the heck?" Kit asked aloud.

"_Now you see his true face_," Tehreisha's horrified voice replied in her mind.

Kit gasped; this was Darcius' true form? This was what he _really_ looked like? She didn't have the time to think on it though, for Darcius let loose a flurry of energy bolts. The group spread out, narrowly avoiding them. "Get back," Kit told the Turaga and Matoran, who took cover in the forest. Looking back at Darcius, Kit and the Toa prepared themselves.

Kopaka sent out a stream of ice, but Darcius merely deflected it and it froze a nearby tree instead. Lewa summoned a blast of wind powerful enough to force Darcius back a bit, but the monstrous being countered with a chain of lightning bolts. The Toa of Air screamed as sparks of energy danced along his form. He was barely aware that he was lifted off the ground through the excruciating pain. Thepower was so incredible it threatened to make his heart and brain explode. A fireball caught his attention and Darcius ended up having to disconnect his attack on the Air Toa in order to defend himself. Tahu charged and attacked while Pohatu and Gali helped the Toa of Air back up, only to feel Darcius' hand around his throat, cutting off his air instantly. The Toa of Fire instinctively dropped his swords as the monster lifted him up. Kopaka moved in to help his fellow Toa, swinging his ice blade down on Darcius. Darcius, however, was ready and blocked it. Anticipating his enemy's next move, the Toa of Ice intercepted the being's hand with his shield when he tried to reach for him. However, Darcius grabbed hold of the edge of the shield and tossed it off of the Toa's arm, something Kopaka didn't expect him to do. A second later, the Ice Toa found himself in the same predicament as his fire counterpart. Both Toa gasped and coughed for air, their legs kicking as they tried to pry off the hands that strangled them. Just when the world was starting to go black, Darcius found himself blasted back, forcing him to release the two Toa. Takanuva and Kit had combined their elemental and energy powers for one powerful strike. Before anyone could do anything else, Darcius vanished.

While the group stared in confusion, the Turaga and Matoran came out of hiding and Onua and Pohatu supported an aching Lewa. "You suppose he gave up?" asked the Toa of Stone.

"I don't think so," replied Kopaka. "I think he has other plans."

Lewa nodded in agreement. Something was happening, something was very wrong; he could feel it in the air. A little wind picked up and, sensing something, the Toa of Air cocked his head this way and that until he spotted what appeared to be the source. "Look," he pointed. At the top of the mountain, purple laced lightning struck.

The Toa of Ice used his scope to get a better look. A long minute passed before he finally reported, "It's Darcius, he's up there, but I can't make out what he's doing. There's too much interference of some kind."

"Wonder what he has up his sleeve now," Tahu wondered aloud.

"We'll worry about that later," said Kit, "right now, we've got to get out of here and figure out our next move." And so, they retreated in the direction of Le-Koro.

* * *

Up on the peak, Darcius stood, observing his creatures mill about. It was finally here, his day of reckoning. "There is nowhere for those fools to hide now," he said to himself. "The time is past right. My reign of terror begins!" Throwing his head back, he let out a laugh of triumph. His creatures roared, shrieked, and howled, as if joining in their master's laughter. Soon, this realm and everything in it would be his, and nothing, not the Toa, not Kit, would stand in his way.

* * *

Disclaimer (just in case): Think of Darcius' true form as similar to Gozoboro (please pardon the spelling if it's incorrect) Kaiba's 'monster' form from 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', except not as big and his head is a little more triangular. So, I guess I don't totally own Darcius' real form.


	6. A Final Battle

'Not good,' Kit said to herself as she gazed at the mountain. She could only guess what Darcius was doing up there. She, the Toa, the Matoran, and the Turaga had been trying to strategize a plan of attack, but that proved difficult to do when they didn't know exactly what they might be dealing with, besides a psychotic tyrantwho just revealed his true form.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar sounded from above and the alarm went off. Rushing outside, the crew spotted a giant form pass over the village before it landed, felling many trees from their roots as it did so. A deep blue colored dragon-like creature stood before them. The monster looked upon the little ones with an evil gleam in its eyes. When it spotted Onewa, it stopped and peered at him intently; for some odd reason, this one seemed familiar somehow. It gazed into the Turaga's eyes, and that's when it knew. Though Onewa had been through some changes, the creature recognized those eyes—the eyes of one who refused to back down. The monster's own eyes widened in recognition and it gave a roar that sounded like it would make the sky crack open like an egg. That was when Kit and the other Turaga saw the scar on its left eye and gasped. This was the same dragon-like creature that they met in the tunnels when Darcius stole the Toa Metru's powers, the one whose eye Onewa cut—and it remembered him. Teeth bared, it lunged at the Turaga of Po-Koro, but was repelled by a hard kick from Pohatu. Kit followed up with her new 'spirit burst' technique while the beast was stunned. The monster roared, more out of surprise than pain, and looked as if it was going to attack again when it cocked its head, as if hearing a silent signal. The next thing they knew, it took to the sky, heading for the mountain where a localized storm of purple laced lightning could now be seen.

"That lightning-storm has Darcius' name all over it," said Lewa.

"And, there's no doubt in my mind that he's summoning his entire army of monsters up there," noted Kopaka.

"This is turning out to be a looong night," sighed Kit.

* * *

For the second time that night, the heroes of Mata Nui found themselves heading back to the same mountain they were just at no more than an hour ago. The whole time, Kit kept thinking. The Turaga and Matoran were waiting inside the underground chamber at the Kini Nui, though she couldn't shake off the feeling that nowhere on this island was safe now, not with those monsters on the loose. She had no doubt sooner or later Darcius was going to send out his creatures to destroy everything. On top of that, seeing what Darcius had become greatly unnerved her. Still, she and the Toa had a job to do, and they figured they were better off going to Darcius rather than waiting for Darcius to come to them. Of course, that meant they'd have to go where he was, which meant Darcius would have them on his terms and on his turf. 'We've got to stop this guy once and for all, and we've got to go straight into his territory to do it,' the girl thought to herself, thinking of how she did the same thing fairly recently with the Toa Metru. 'We never seem to get a break.'

* * *

Darcius stood perfectly still, eyes closed. Then, he suddenly snapped them open and was alert. He could sense them, they were coming. He chuckled a bit when eight forms appeared over the ridge—Kit and the Toa Nuva had arrived.

"To what do I owe the honor of you saving me the trouble of hunting you down?" he asked in a gentleman-like tone.

"Darcius, we're giving you this one chance for you and your monsters to leave our island, our dimension, and to never return," Tahu declared. "This is our home, our world, and we'll fight for it if we have to."

Darcius grinned, "Be it as it may."

A short pause followed before growls and shrieks filled the air. The blue dragon creature appeared, along with a few bat and dog monsters, and two of the smaller green dragon monsters. "Take them," Darcius commanded, "but the girl is mine," and the beasts moved in.

"Kit, you know what to do, right?" Onua whispered.

"You guys keep these monsters busy," Kit confirmed, "and I'll go after Darcius."

And, almost like a blast from the blast, the battle for Mata Nui was on.

When Kit managed to reach him, Darcius was waiting. The two sworn enemies just glared at each other, as if daring the other to make the first move. Then, Darcius let loose his energy bolts, upon which Kit formed a shield to block. Once she got a firm stand on the ground, the girl sent the barrier forward, forcing Darcius' attack back at him. The monster staggered back a bit, but otherwise was unharmed.

"Just one question," said Kit.

"Go ahead," Darcius replied.

"Why the disguise?"

"As hard as you might find this to believe, I actually have an appreciation for human fashion. I found the look quite dashing."

With her question answered, Darcius and Kit resumed their battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Toa were busy with their fight. The dog and bat monsters proved easy to deal with; a few good shots with their elemental and mask powers, and they were down for the count. All that was left now were the dragon creatures, who were proving to be a bit more of a challenge. Once, Kopaka found himself in the clutches of one of the smaller dragons. Before it flew too high into the air, Lewa struck its forearms, making it let go of its quarry. Thinking quickly, the Toa of Ice used his ice powers to travel safely back to the ground via ice slide. Tahu shielded Onua from a blast of dark fire from the bigger blue one.

"How much longer do we have to hold them off?" asked Pohatu.

"Hopefully, until Kit's done with Darcius," answered Gali.

"I was afraid of that," the Toa of Stone remarked.

* * *

Darcius and Kit panted; the fight was beginning to take its toll on them both. 'Man, there's got to be a way to beat this guy,' Kit thought to herself. But, the question was how; everything she had tried both now and in the past had done nothing but injure him. Darcius fired more bolts, but Kit dodged and launched a gunshot beam. Darcius dodged that, and in doing so put himself right where Kit wanted him for a spirit burst. The shot grazed him, but it still did some damage. Kit was about to move in when she heard a cry. Looking back, she saw one of the smaller dragon monsters had Tahu by the shoulder and was shaking him like a rag doll. The other Toa were either unconscious or too busy to help him. She just managed to call the Fire Toa's name when she felt herself being picked up from behind and thrown into a rock wall. The collision rattled her skull and she fell to the ground. Somehow, she managed to remain conscious and watched Darcius idly walk toward her.

"You young, naïve fool, did you honestly believe you could ever defeat me?" he said. "Look at you, you're practically at the end of your rope. Your precious Toa are no match for my pets. Soon, there will be hardly anything left of them worth burying. Face it, child, you're through."

As she lay there, body hurting too much to even move a muscle, Kit felt a sense of hopelessness flood through her. She had given it all that she had, and this was the end result? She just couldn't see how she and the Toa Nuva were going to defeat Darcius, let alone survive the battle. "_You mustn't give up hope, Kit_," she heard Tehreisha's voice in her mind.

'But, how am I supposed to beat him? I've tried everything I know.'

"_You have two things he doesn't have and can never hope to attain. Only by invoking your strength through them can you hope to defeat him_."

'And, what're those?'

"_Love and spirit_."

The answer baffled Kit, but before she could ask any further, Darcius stood above her. Grasping her upper arms, he picked her up and shocked her with his energy bolts. The girl screamed in pain until he turned the power off—then he started them up again. Darcius continued to torture Kit like that two more times before it was over. Kit gasped as her body gave occasional spasms that made purple sparks jump, bringing back memories of when she first received this treatment. "I ought to kill you right now, right in front of your Toa friends," he growled. Kit perked a bit; the Toa were still alive? Darcius, though, wasn't about to let her take a peek even if she could, for he continued where he left off. "But, I think I have a better idea: I'll save your death for last while my minions and I tear this realm apart, starting with this island, the Toa, Turaga, and Matoran, just so I can see the look on your face as you're able to do nothing but watch this world as you know it crumble." Upon hearing the threat against her friends, something snapped inside of Kit and, as if upon reflex, she released twin energy balls. Darcius dropped her and was blown back. Kit, meanwhile, got up and stumbled a bit, trying to maintain her balance. Darcius was about to launch another round of bolts when he-didn't-know-what made him stop.

Kit slowly rose her head as she panted, "You . . . are not . . . going to . . . lay . . . a hand . . . on any of them."

When her eyes met his, Darcius saw a sight that caught his breath in his throat—the girl's eyes and the inside of her mouth were emanating a yellowish-gold glow. In fact, an aura of the same color was surrounding her form. The power she now released was so great, it created an updraft that blew through her hair.

* * *

"What's going on?" asked Lewa. "What's with that bright-light?"

The other Toa and the dragon creatures looked to find a light that wasn't there before. Squinting his eyes and clutching his shoulder, Tahu saw a familiar figure in the aura of energy. "It's Kit!" Darcius fired his energy bolts, which Kit, with a casual two-fingered swipe of her hand, batted away like they were nothing.

Takanuva whistled, "Go, Kit!"

* * *

"My turn," said the girl as Darcius looked on in amazement; his attack didn't even faze her.

Kit lifted up her hands, then lowered them in front of her, and a storm of small spinning crescent shapes shot straight for her target. Darcius could do nothing but try to shield himself as best as he could. He hissed between clenched teeth as the crescents left stinging cuts all over his body. Now really mad, Darcius shot his energy bolts with a vengeance. But, that wasn't the end of Kit's new little bag of tricks. Forming a triangle shape with her index fingers and thumbs, she sent out triangular shaped beam, canceling out the bolts. Darcius, however, just sent out more, and Kit canceled most of them out with a diamond shaped attack launched from her hands. Though some got through, she ignored the pain and it was then that she noticed something.

There seemed to be some kind of bolt-like light that danced in the middle of Darcius' chest. 'Could that be a weak spot?' she wondered.

"_There! Strike there!_" said Tehreisha's voice, confirming her suspicions.

Seeing more bolts coming, Kit blew them back with a burst of energy. As Darcius struggled to recover his senses, he said, "No matter what you throw at me, you're still going to fail and this world will be mine."

"I disagree," the girl replied as she placed the backs of her hands together. Then, she moved her hands in opposite semi-circular motions, brought the heels of her palms together, forming a ball, and shot it forward. Darcius, not moving fast enough, was struck.

Moving in fast, Kit knocked him to the ground with a palm-heel. 'Where in the world did she get this power?' Darcius thought to himself. Hurting, he strained to get up, only to find Kit standing over him.

"You're right, Darcius, it _is_ time to end this once and for all," she said with a mischievous kind of smile that actually made Darcius nervous.

Faster than the eye could blink, Kit had her hand on his chest, and unleashed an energy beam. The static light located in his chest cracked like it were crystal, and Darcius cried out in a pain he had never experienced before. As if in desperation, he clasped her wrist in one hand and tried to get the girl's hand off of him, but, for some reason, he couldn't get it to budge. A moment that felt like an eternity passed before Kit's attack was done, and she stood up. Darcius' body shook from the shock, his breathing was erratic, and his wide eyes just stared out into space. His last thought was a note to himself to never get a female angry, for, if Kit was any indication, they tend to be vicious. And then, the darkness of death claimed him.

* * *

The expression on all of the Toa Nuva's masks was confusion. Just a moment ago, all of Darcius' monsters roared, howled, and shrieked as if in unbelievable agony, then they all dropped to the ground. When they didn't move, closer inspection revealed that they were all dead. Then, all of a sudden, their bodies turned into wisps of smoke that rose into the air until they completely evaporated away.

Remembering Kit, the Toa turned around to see Kit looking down on something. It was the body of Darcius, and it too was fading away like his creatures did. Evidently, when Kit killed their master, she killed his minions as well. Once the body had completely vanished in a wisp of smoke, Kit's Toa armor suit disappeared, and she collapsed. "Kit!" Gali called with concern. Bodies aching, the Toa all made their way to the girl, some able to run decently, some limping, some helping their friends. The Toa of Water was the first to reach her. "Kit, are you alright?"

"Anybody got an ibuprofen?" the girl groaned; her head was still hurting from when Darcius sent her into the wall. The Toa looked to each other, and burst out laughing.

* * *

The group made their way down the side of the mountain that faced Ko-Wahi, where it was covered in snow. Toa Kopaka led the way. Tahu was talking to Onua when something splattered on his face—a snowball. "Ok, who did that?" he asked, eyeing the others. Lewa shook his head immediately, knowing he'd be suspected.

Hearing some snickering, the source was discovered to be Kit. The girl turned just in time to see a snowball headed right for her, and, with a yelp, she ducked. She looked at the patch of white on the wall behind her, at the Toa, back at the remains of the snowball, and said, "Ha ha, you missed," only to be hit with another snowball. "He scores," Kit admitted as she brushed the snow off, and the group had a little snowball fight on their way down.

* * *

Beneath the Kini Nui, the Turaga and Matoran waited anxiously for word from, or of, Kit and the Toa. Onewa and Matau tried to keep the Matoran calm by telling tales of the hero's adventures.

Meanwhile, near the entrance of the chamber, an Onu-Matoran named Damek kept watch, his keen eyes watching the shadows for any sign of movement. Hearing the sound of something approaching, he reflexively tensed his muscles. A few minutes later, he could just barely make out the shapes of several figures coming toward the chamber. Readying his weapon, he shouted, "Halt! Who goes there?"

"Relax, Damek, it's just us," replied a familiar voice.

The Matoran just looked on in confusion—until Kit and the Toa Nuva come into the dim lighting of the chamber. "Toa! Kit! Are you all alright?" asked Damek, noticing that a great number of the group had wrecked armor and wounds.

"Let's just say we're no worse for wear than we've already been," answered Tahu, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"I'll go inform the others," Damek said, and he dashed down the tunnel with Kit and the Toa right behind him. "They're back!" the Onu-Matoran called excitedly once he reached the chamber. "The Toa and Kit are back!"

Every single Matoran's eyes lit up and they all gave a cheer when their heroes arrived. As the Turaga tended to their wounds, Kit looked upon the assembled crowd of Matoran and at the sea route that would take them home, to Metru Nui. 'Home,' she thought with a pang loneliness. It was kind of ironic in a way; her friends were now heading back to their homeland, but she had yet to return to hers. On top of that, for the past several months, she had been in a world where, as far as was concerned, she was the only human, the only fully organic being.

As if in response to her thoughts, a pale blue light appeared—Tehreisha had arrived. "You have done well, Kit," said the Gate Guardian. "You may go home now."

The girl's eyes widened, hardly daring to believe her ears, "Are you sure?"

Tehriesha nodded, "The danger's past, your friends and this world are safe—for now. Besides, I understand that you've been missing your family for some time."

As happy as she felt, something still troubled Kit.

"Darcius wasn't the only one, was he?"

"No, I'm afraid he wasn't. I fear that there are still other evil forces out there who could find this realm to their liking. But, you are this reality's Protector, so you'll be back. In fact, you can even come and visit whenever you like."

Kit raised her eyebrows in surprise, "You're going to make portals whenever I want jump dimensions?"

Tehreisha chuckled, "No, I cannot; you know I can't leave my post too often. However, I can do this." The Guardian's middle finger lit up and she touched the girl's forehead. Instantly, Kit felt something happen, but wasn't sure how to describe it. "There, now you have the power to make portals appear whenever you wish," Tehreisha announced.

A short pause followed before it was interrupted by Jaller, "Why didn't you give her that ability before?"

"Because she wasn't ready," replied Tehreisha. "She had to reach a certain level of skill with her powers before I could give her that kind of power." The Gate Guardian nodded, Kit waved her arm, and, low and behold, a portal appeared. Kit, the Toa, Turaga, and Matoran gazed at it in amazement. "Take care, child," said Tehreisha as she began to fade, "and may the power protect you."

Kit walked toward the portal, then turned to face the Toa, Turaga, and the Matoran. "So, we'll see you soon, Kit?" asked Nuparu. Kit smiled; after all of the times she shared with these people, how could she not come back?

"Count on it," she answered, and gave the engineer a wink.

Then, she waved good-bye to the crowd, who waved back, and, after wishing them good luck, she hopped into the portal.

* * *

When she exited the portal, Kit found herself landing a bit harder than she was expecting on shaggy ground. "Gotta work on the landings," she groaned. After clearing her head, she looked around to find herself in all too familiar surroundings. She was in the TV room of her house; she was home. Thinking quickly, she waved the portal away, and got to her feet. "Mom! Dad!" she called. "It's me, Kit! I'm back!" The girl ran around the house, calling to and trying to locate her parents. The house, however, was empty. Thinking they might be out looking for her, she reached for the phone. Before she started to dial, something on the calendar caught her eye. It was on the date that she first came to the Bionicle world. Looking at the clock, she found it was an hour after she returned home from school. Come to think of it, she noticed that her backpack was right where she had left it. It all seemed so unreal she could hardly believe it; she had only lost an hour's worth of time in her world.

Just then, she heard the garage door open and the door being unlocked—Mom was home. She ran down the stairs and hugged her so good and tight, she thought she would never let go. As much as she tried not to, Kit couldn't hold back her tears. Her mother noticed, "What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm just so glad to see you again," Kit said in between sobs.

"I've only been gone at work."

"Felt like forever to me."

Brenda didn't understand it one bit, but, for some odd reason, decided not to push it and hugged her daughter. Later that night, the same thing pretty much happened when Kit's father returned from work.

* * *

A week passed, and life went back to normal for Kit. She went to school, hung out with her friends, came home, did homework, the works. After spending such a long time in another dimension she once could only dream about, it felt a little strange, yet comforting at the same time, to get back to the old routine. However, she soon realized that she felt like something was missing; she couldn't even concentrate on her Bionicle DVD any longer. 'It's no use,' she said to herself. 'No matter what, I still feel empty inside.' Memories of her adventures in the Bionicle world flooded through mind. It was almost as if she had become a part of that reality as much as it became a part of her. Then, she remembered what Tehreisha said and smiled. She could make portals now, so she could go back whenever she needed. And, she had every intention of doing so. But for now, she just wanted to get back on track with her life in the real world.


End file.
